This Week at the Republic of Letters

Dear Republic,

People don’t seem to be very interested in recognizing their friends’ achievements lol. So let’s push this contest out a few days:

We want to hear about good things that are happening in the world, exemplary people, and so on. Let us know about a friend of yours — or an acquaintance, maybe a relative — who did something in regular life that you feel deserves recognition, some morally impressive, upstanding, exemplary thing that other people should know about. Please write to republic.of.letters.substack@gmail.com with “Recognition” in the subject line. Selected pieces receive $50.

Additional contests can be found here.

It’s been Self-Referential Week at, themed around work and personalities from within LitStack.

As always, please do remember that this is subscriber-based and that we do pay for content, so if you appreciate the work that the community does here, please do upgrade to a paid subscription.

• ROL

THIS WEEK AT ROL

Joshua Dolezal, “ Substack Doesn’t Love You Back”

As much as we may be pro-Substack, honest critique is important. has consistently, and intelligently, been making the point about Substack’s limitations — above all an unequal relationship between writers on Substack and the platform itself.

• SK

Natalie Reid, “ The Project That Chose Me”

You labor on things, you put them away, then something brings you back to them. A recognition of time slipping away, and even if imperfect, if you don’t finish now, you might never. Natalie Reid reflects on unfinished business and unfinished manuscripts, at age 79.

• ALS

Arturo Desimone, “ Latinos Are Also Part of the Lost Generation”

While there has been much discussion about the millennial and younger white-male statistically disappearing from big publishing, the Latinos’ silent vanishment has gone unremarked upon. looks up for an interview and does a deep dive into the data.

• ALS

Grant Maierhofer, “ Analog”

We have previously published three pieces by, each on writing: against w…